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This comment was posted by a commenter to the Des Moines Register . I think it pretty much says it all, and explains pretty clearly why Mike Huckabee is surging - and will continue to surge--the more people get to know him.

"Well I met the man in person at a meet-and-greet and I can tell you he is thesame face to face as he is on Face The Nation on tv. I guess I can relate to aman who grew up poor, has been a pastor and a governor. There's probably not a problem we face daily in our family that he either hasn't experienced or helped others deal with. I loved what he said back in Ames at the straw poll - "Folks, I can't buy you...I can't even afford to rent you" He didn't have any money for Tv or radio, yet everyone saw those ads smearing him from the Club for Growth. I was born during the day, but it wasn't yesterday. Any out of state group that comes here and spends over $100,000 on ads against a candidate whose way down in the bottom must be afraid of something or should I say afraid that Mike Huckabee might catch on with regular folk like farmers, teachers truck drivers small business people. Makes me wonder who would be motivated to spend that money. Maybe another candidate with deep deep pockets? Now he's moving up and people know who he is. He's sure got my vote (which ain't for sale)."

Today’s First Read from NBC News takes note of the glowing reviews Mike Huckabee has been winning in the key early primary state of South Carolina and points to a weekend article from that state’s top political writer, Lee Bandy of The (Columbia) State.

Of a recent Huckabee visit to York County, S.C., Bandy writes:

Huckabee wasn’t prepared for the raucous reception he got. The York Republicans gave Huckabee a hero’s welcome. The applause and cheers were deafening, never seeming to end.Buoyed by the response, Huckabee charmed his audience for the next 30 minutes with his jokes, down-home personality and resume.

Huckabee also let his listeners know he is a different kind of Republican, one who comes from humble beginnings — a working- class family. His interests and priorities are allied with working people, he said.

What makes this particularly interesting is that Mitt Romney, who is desperately trying to play the true conservative in the G.O.P. race, has so far faced a stubborn electorate in South Carolina. His act has worked perfectly in the three other early states – Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada, all of which he now leads in – but he lags in single digits in the Palmetto State.

Some have speculated that this is because of Romney’s Mormon faith, a tough sell in such a devoutly Christian state. Huckabee, by contrast, is a perfect cultural and religious match: a son of the South and an ordained Baptist minister. And, unlike the other candidates, he has a cheery and telegenic personality that matches Romney’s – and probably exceeds it, in that Huckabee seems more genuine.

Suddenly, it’s not so much of a stretch to paint a scenario in which Huckabee contends seriously for the G.O.P. nod.

His second place showing in the Iowa straw poll earlier this month certified him as the darkhorse to watch there – and may have marginalized Sam Brownback, Huckabee’s chief rival for the hearts of that state’s Christian conservatives. Romney is now the favorite in Iowa, but a strong Huckabee showing there on caucus day could give him the “Big Mo” that the state is famous for producing.

Huckabee seems like such a natural fit for South Carolina – and the other candidates are such awkward fits – that he’d probably be the front-runner there if he could get an Iowa bounce. So a scenario can be painted in which Huckabee is the media’s “winner” in two of the first three states.

Right now, Romney and Rudy Giuliani are the G.O.P. front-runners – Giuliani for his deep national support (positioning him well for the mega-primary of February 5) and Romney for his strong early state support. But as Fred Thompson dawdles, Huckabee may be emerging as the most likely to crash the front-runners’ party.

Saturday, August 25, 2007

John Gizzi, political editor of Human Events, had this to say about Gov. Huckabee today:

Huckabee On A Roll!

Presidential politics was in full swing at the Midwest Republican Conference here, as Mike Huckabee brought the 400-plus guests to their feet with a fighting luncheon speech.

"I'm a little sick of runnng a credit card through the gas pump and knowing I just made the Saudi oil family a little more rich," the former Arkansas governor told the cheering crowd, underscoring his call for energy independence by the United States.

Huckabee went on to decry spending "$250-to-half a billion dollars a year on compliance" by Americans with the federal income tax, and repeated his now-familiar call for a "fair [consumption] tax" that "a kid running a lemonade stand could understand."

Serenaded by luncheon guests on his 52nd birthday ("Now tell me how great I look!" he joked to them), Huckabee also spoke of the Republican Party as "the party of Main Street and not Wall Street" and gave his reasons for being a Republican, which included his beliefs that "life begins at conception" and marriage "is between a man and a woman and nothing else."

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Mitt Romney was pro-abortion when running for the senate against Ted Kennedy, as well as when he was running for Governor of Massachusetts.

Then, right around the time he decided to run for president last year, he suddenly had an "epiphany" while studying the stem cell issue. Suddenly, Romney became convinced that human life must be respected and cherished at all stages (strangely, the beautiful faces of his own children were not enough to spawn such emotion -- it took a few cells in a cold petri dish).

But today he took a HUGE step backwards, saying he believes states should be allowed to choose whether they will allow abortion.

This a major blow to pro-life supporters, who care little about where abortions occur. Pro-lifers are pro-lifers no matter where they live and we believe abortion is morally and ethically wrong EVERYWHERE.

Some think this is Romney's attempt to peel moderates away from Rudy Guiliani. If so, he's thrown babies under the bus (again) for the sake of his own ambitions.

If you are looking for a true, pro-life conservative who has NEVER wavered from his position, look no further than Mike Huckabee.

UPDATE: Here's what Romney's team has to say in response to criticism of his flip-flop-flipping on abortion. "We should aspire to passing a Human Life Amendment when the country as a whole is prepared for it," Romney spokesman Kevin Madden told ABC News. "The American people just aren't there yet."

Folks, that not leading. That's following. We need a leader in the White House.

Analysts at Election 2008 Polls have determined that Gov. Mike Huckabee will likely challenge Mitt Romney and the other "top tier" candidates for Iowa.

Here's their Summary: "Mike Huckabee has a bump in post-debate polls then drops back down after voters question his viability. With Huckabee's strong second place performance at the Ames Straw Poll, his viability will no longer be questioned by Iowa voters. Look for a surge in the upcoming polls."

Huckabee's strong...performance at the Ames Straw Poll will help remove all doubts as to whether or not he can win. The up-and-down roller coast ride to his poll numbers are going to stop and we are going to notice gradual increases for Huckabee in Iowa.

Large Undecided Voting Block Favors Mike Huckabee

There is upwards of about 20% undecided Republican voters in the upcoming Iowa Caucus. Undecided voters will traditionally flock to the lesser known challengers in any election because they are already familiar with the well known candidates. Thanks to Ames, Huckabee is that candidate and we expect the supporters of the other lower tiered candidates to converge towards supporting Huckabee.

Huckabee is the "2nd choice" for most votersChoiceranker.com allows visitors to rank candidates by preference... As of the date of this article, Mike Huckabee has the largest number of second place votes (22.95%)... just a little nudge is necessary to boost him to #1 choice for many of these.

Mike Huckabee Can Challenge Mitt Romney in IowaA very traditional state like Iowa favors Huckabee over Romney. Romney has had contradictory positions on abortion and he is a mormon while Huckabee is on the side of life and is a former Baptist pastor. If the conclusions made above that Huckabee is poised for a jump in the polls, voters for the top tier candidates looking for a more traditional christian conservative may also switch to Huckabee creating a vacuum at the top for the rest of the primary season.

This analysis was conducted by:

David Terr, holds a PhD in Mathematics with a concentration in Number Theory from the University of California, Berkeley. He is widely published in number theory journals and currently studies how poll movement occurs and what they mean over the course of political campaigns.

Proloy Bhattacharyya holds an MS in Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles with a concentration in Probability and Statistics.

Monday, August 20, 2007

From the NY Times: Senator Sam Brownback, a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, is running near the bottom in polls.

But by one standard Mr. Brownback has trounced his rivals: He is taking a five-day August vacation.

That’s right, the candidate plans to do no campaigning, no fund-raising, no meeting with staff and no interviews for five-sevenths of a week, while he and his wife retreat to a family home in the Colorado Rockies.

Editorial note: If I had given money, time, sweat and tears to the Brownback campaign I would be furious about this. Perhaps you Brownback supporters should consider throwing your support behind Huckabee who HAS the fire in the belly.

Governors win, and when it’s a governor running against a U.S. senator or even vice president or president, the governor wins.

The last senator to win the presidency without being the incumbent was John F. Kennedy in 1960... so, when we think about whom any party should nominate for president, it’s always best to go after a governor.

The reasons governors beat national politicians are probably fairly simple. They have accomplishments they can cite, have served as CEO of a large government organization (as the U.S. presidency is), and, most importantly, they don’t have a voting record on important and controversial national issues.Senators, by contrast, don’t have the individual political-administrative accomplishments to which to point, have records dotted with controversial and polarizing votes...

On the Republican side, the top-tier candidates are...varied. Among them are a Senator, McCain (although he’s just barely hanging on at this point, with New Hampshire his only hope for renewal); a former mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani; and a governor, Mitt Romney, who would surely be the odds-on favorite if he were not a Mormon but who cannot energize the Republicans’ crucial voting bloc, evangelical Christians, unless there is no other viable alternative. Also likely to join the candidates for nomination is actor and former Senator Fred Thompson. So, given that the best choice is a governor and Romney probably isn’t it, whom should the Republicans nominate, from a purely practical, historically astute perspective?

Before last weekend’s Iowa straw poll I was telling associates that among the current candidates the best choice for the Republicans would be Mike Huckabee. A former Baptist minister who served two terms as governor of Arkansas, a state long controlled by Democrats, where he nonetheless enjoyed high approval ratings, Huckabee is hardly more obscure than Bill Clinton was in 1991 (unless you think Clinton’s tenure as leader of the National Governor’s Association made him world-famous). His appeal to evangelicals is a given.

Given all these factors, from a tactical perspective Huckabee has appeal as a prospective presidential candidate... after his strong, second-place finish in last week’s Iowa Straw Poll, Republicans should take a good luck at Huckabee.

Unless another Christian, low-tax governor (not named Bush) enters the race unexpectedly, Huckabee actually gives them the best chance of winning in 2008, if history is any guide.

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Lapp, who helped bring down Republicans in 2006 as executive director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said, "The real threat of Mike Huckabee is that he is a happy warrior, a down-home guy comfortable in his own skin. Right-wing conservatism with a smile."

Strategists on both political sides agree Huckabee has great appeal to Middle Americans who work hard to support their families, who want lower taxes and responsible leadership, and who go to church every Sunday but don't feel the need to tell you all about it.

Saturday, August 18, 2007

The Fair Tax would replace the federal income tax system with a national retail sales tax. It would provides a "prebate" to ensure no American pays federal taxes on spending up to the poverty level, dollar-for-dollar federal revenue replacement and, through companion legislation, repeal of the 16th Amendment (in other words, the end of the IRS).

Why the Fair Tax?

Lowers the lifetime tax burden for most Americans

Benefits senior citizens who depend on Social Security

Gives the greatest tax relief to those who need it most

Dramatically improves the U.S. economy

Improves America's international competitiveness

Promotes home ownership better than the current system

Greatly simplifies tax compliance

Closes loopholes and reduces cheating, benefitting those who follow the rules

Since day one our stats have shown that first-time visitors account for at least 80% of all visits to this blog, so we figure we've shared Gov. Huckabee's presidential qualifications with around 200,000 folks so far.

At the pace things are going now, the next 200,000 will come along soon!

Buoyed by his surprise second-place finish in the Iowa Republican straw poll, ...governor Mike Huckabee is plotting an even bigger coup against Mitt Romney in the first presidential primary, in New Hampshire.

His inspiration for the audacious plot comes from two unlikely people: Pat Buchanan and Bill Clinton.

Clinton...was no better known to New Hampshire voters in the autumn of 1991 than Huckabee is today [but] Clinton won enough friends to finish second...to 1992's neighboring candidate, former Massachusetts senator Paul Tsongas.

The way [for Huckabee] to do that in New Hampshire may lie in the example of the Buchanan campaigns, which embarrassed George H.W. Bush in 1992 and defeated Bob Dole ...1996. Buchanan's populist appeal caught those establishment candidates unawares.

Running at a time...of public frustration about imports, job losses and a shaky housing-banking market, Buchanan mobilized blue-collar Republicans and independents against the elitist candidates.

Huckabee is testing the same themes -- but not in the strident, angry language that Buchanan used. Huckabee comes off as the friendly, down-home country preacher...who can soothe and entertain the congregation...

But the message is designed to play to public discontent, especially when an overpriced housing market is once again being shaken in New Hampshire...

Having grown up [poor], Huckabee...empathizes with the anxiety of "people who have no trust fund, no safety net to fall back on."

He didn't have to name Romney as the "trust fund" candidate in the race. All Huckabee has to say is "I've walked the aisles at Wal-Mart" to make his class consciousness evident.

Huckabee, like Buchanan in his time, is quick to jump on the easy foreign targets -- the Chinese who are shipping unsafe toys and toothpaste to the United States, the illegal immigrants "who walk across the border without a scrap of identification and immediately go to work."

...now that the money has started to flow his way, with 16 fundraisers scheduled since he finished second in Iowa, and he has begun to establish a position for himself in the race, the rest of the steps no longer look nearly as implausible. It has been done before.

Friday, August 17, 2007

Those of you who follow this blog know I launched it more than two years ago -- in February 2005 --but I knew Mike Huckabee should one day be president 8 years before that.

Why? Well, first of all, I know his heart. I was fortunate enough to spend enough time with him back then that I know he is a great, great person and the most authentic Christian conservative I have ever met.

Second, he is really, really smart. The man literally thinks in paragraphs.

Third, he is at his best under pressure. He's always great, but throw him in the middle of a crisis and he takes it to a whole new level. There is truly nothing like seeing a true leader handle a difficult situation. He has it.

Finally, he has the unique gift of being able to connect with people and articulate what he wants to say to them. Not only does he think in paragraphs, but he can also let them flow flawlessly out of his mouth even as they form in his head. You don't hear filler sounds like "um," or "uhh," or "you know" like less gifted speakers use while they formulate their next thought.

Want proof? Click HERE for an amazing sequence from the last debate with an audience approval graph laid on top of it.

Nobody in the field -- on either site -- can hold a candle to Mike Huckabee.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Welcome to Mike Huckabee President 2008, the first blog devoted to promoting the qualifications of Gov. Mike Huckabee to serve as President of the United States. Since Gov. Huckabee's remarkable success in the Iowa straw poll, we've been getting literally thousands of new visitors to the blog so we want to make it easy for you to find what you are looking for.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

If you are truly pro life you must now bow out of the race for president. The recent Ames straw poll clearly shows two things:

1) The conservative, Christian, pro-life vote does not support Romney. Combined, your support and Governor Huckabee's support in the poll was greater than Romney's. The voters have spoken. It is time for the pro-life vote to coalece behind the one candidate who can carry the pro-life message effectively forward.

2) Continuing your campaign will only continue to divide the conservative, Christian, pro-life constituency and will only contiue to prop up Mitt Romney's false status as a "front-runner." You know that Romney is not truly pro-life and that his candidacy is a danger to the very principles you stand so admirably for.

Rich Lowry of National Review Online agrees, saying that continuing your campaign in the wake of the straw poll "might end up hurting the pro-life cause."

And, devastatingly, Lowry goes further: "the truth is that the Brownback presidential campaign is doing the senator’s moral cause no favors. If anything... his cause is being hurt by the association."

Senator, you are a great man and respected leader whom I admire tremendously. It is time for you to demonstrate that leadership and your committment to protecting the unborn by making a very unselfish decison --- you must continue the important work of promoting the cause of protecting and honoring the dignity of all human lives — in the U.S. Senate.

Micheal Medved, well known and well-respected author, political analyst and nationally-syndicated radio show host published an article at Townhall.com today titled "Huckabee: He Could Be the Real Deal."

You can read it in its entirety HERE. However, because these articles sometimes disappear from the web over time, I excerpt for you below:

Huckabee: He Could Be the Real Deal

By: Michael Medved

August 15, 2007

The more I think about Mike Huckabee’s stunning 18% showing at the Iowa straw poll the more I’m persuaded that he could be the exciting, unifying conservative standard bearer the GOP base has been craving.

I challenge any die hard Fred Heads to watch tape of Thompson addressing a live audience and then to contrast it with tape of Huckabee working a crowd – or performing at one of the televised debates. There’s no comparison.

Huckabee spontaneously deploys the warmth, humor, gift of gab, accessibility and kindness that we haven’t seen in a GOP Presidential contender since Reagan. He comes across as a regular guy who cares about other regular guys. He also possesses a rare ability to craft catchy phrases that connect with people.

Aside from his likely ability to unify the party, two other factors argue for Huckabee as the strongest possible GOP standard bearer.

First, his distinctly blue-collar, proudly working class background will help to destroy the notion that Republicans are the party of Wall Street and the country club. The old Democratic class warfare tactics simply won’t work against Huckabee—his personal style and background make it impossible to associate him with some privileged elite.

The second big advantage of a Huckabee nomination involves his ability to suppress any third party vote on the right. If Rudy Giuliani became Republican standard bearer, an angry right-winger could draw 3% or more of the vote and easily tilt the election toward Hillary. With a Huckabee candidacy, on the other hand, a self-righteous anti-abortion, anti-immigration, anti-globalism fringe campaign becomes less powerful (and less necessary, for that matter).

Finally, there’s the current press infatuation with the former Arkansas governor – a rare blessing for any conservative. They like Huckabee not only because he’s charming and funny, but because the media love a good underdog story. An under-funded candidate who comes out of nowhere (and Hope, Arkansas is just about nowhere) to challenge the big boys makes a great, inspiring yarn and helps sell newspapers or win TV viewers.

Moreover, when it comes to holding elective office, Huckabee served the people of his state for thirteen years – three years as Lieutenant Governor and ten as Governor – giving him more experience as an elected public official than Giuliani, Romney, Thompson, Obama, Edwards, Hillary – or George W. Bush.

... the arguments in behalf of a Huckabee candidacy remain potent and persuasive while those against his nomination seem easily deflected.

... as far as I’m concerned, the former Governor of Arkansas has already earned an endorsement as a first tier candidate for the Republican nomination for the Presidency. His inclusion among the elite survivors of the early winnowing process can only strengthen the campaign, the party and, ultimately, the country.

Dr. David Terr of the University of California at Berkley, and Lead Analyst for USA Election Polls, has published a comprehensive analysis of the Iowa straw poll and concludes:

Huckabee won.

You can read the analysis in its entirety HERE but I'll provide some of the more interesting conclusions for you below:

Romney did more than a factor of 2 worse than expected as per the Combined Normalized Average (CNA). He was a big loser.

Mike Huckabee more than doubled his expected CNA and is obviously the true winner at the Straw Poll.

Romney's... 31% at Ames is...close to the 27% he got in the University of Iowa poll earlier this month. Compare that to Huckabee who got only 3% in that same poll getting 18%.

Statistically, ...Romney should have had an 8:1 margin of victory over his next closest competitor.

There is...the the likelihood that the Unsure voters flocked towards the other candidates (not Romney) in a larger proportion.

And now for Dr. Terr's final conclusion:

Huckabee's, ... above expectations performance will have far greater impact on the presidential race than anything else. Look at the front runners: Romney is a mormon, Giuliani has been divorced and dressed in drag, McCain is old and dropping... Huckabee has set himself as the clear alternative choice. He had polled as high as 8% in Iowa (ABC News Poll) and will likely see himself in double digits in the next poll. ... My perception is that once voters believe Huckabee can win, some of them will drop the Romney campaign for Huckabee.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

I've often said this blog isn't about me. And it isn't. It's about electing the only Authentic, Christian Conservative in the race to the White House in 2008.

But....more than two long years into this labor of love, the result of last Saturday's Iowa straw poll was like an ice cold glass of water after a trek through the Sahara.

William Beutler, Senior Online Analyst for New Media Strategies was kind enough to take notice and published a very nice "congratulations" post to us on the great Political Mavens blog, for which we are sincerely flattered and grateful.

Mr. Beutler said "...if there’s anyone out there celebrating as much as his campaign staff, it’s the anonymous individual(s) behind the long-running, unambiguously titled campaign blog, Mike Huckabee President 2008."

"It takes some confidence — to say nothing of stamina — to start backing a candidate three years before the Iowa caucuses. Not only do you have to be reasonably sure your candidate will actually run, but you’ve got to stay interested as the months and years drag on."

Monday, August 13, 2007

The phones have not stopped ringing at Huckabee Headquarters and the national media requests are piling up fast. Huckabee is being asked to talk about his "surprise win" in the Iowa poll while Mitt Romney desperately wails that his victory "isn't hollow."

PR tip for you, Mitt...if you have to say it.....well....you know.

It is time to get on board with Team Huckabee. It is time to elect the only AUTHENTIC CHRISTIAN CONSERVATIVE in this race.

Please click over to show your support with a contribution...no amount is too small. Visit http://www.mikehuckabee.com/ RIGHT NOW and get on board with the most exciting thing to happen to presidential politics in your lifetime.

Upcoming media appearances:

August 13, 2007

Little Rock, AR – Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee will appear on the following national news programs on August 13 and August 14:

8:15 a.m. ET / 7:15 a.m. CT – Guest on WBZ Radio in Boston to discuss the results of the Republican Party of Iowa Straw Poll.

10:30 a.m. ET / 9:30 a.m. CT – Guest on the nationally syndicated radio program “Brian and the Judge” with hosts Brian Kilmead and Judge Andrew Napolitano to discuss his strong showing in the Republican Party of Iowa Straw Poll.

11:50 a.m. ET / 10:50 a.m. CT – Guest on nationally syndicated radio program “The Right Balance” with host Greg Allen to discuss his strong finish in the Republican Party of Iowa Straw Poll. You can listen to the program live by logging onto: http://www.therightbalance.com/

4:00 p.m. ET / 3:00 p.m. CT – Guest on Fox News’ “Your World with Neal Cavuto” to discuss his strong finish in the Republican Party of Iowa Straw

Sunday, August 12, 2007

The New Republic has done a fantastic job of detailing the raw significance of Huckabee's remarkable 2nd place showing in yesterday's Iowa Straw Poll -- far better than I can do -- so here's an excerpt. You can read the article in its entirety HERE.

The New Republic

Viva Huckabee!

By Noam Scheiber

8/11/07

Here's when I realized Mike Huckabee might be on the verge of something: Shortly after 1 o'clock, Laura Ingraham, our intrepid emcee, introduced each of the straw poll candidates. Because Romney was speaking immediately after the introductions, and because he'd clearly bused in the most people from around the state--"Team Romney" apparently had one bus for each of Iowa's 99 counties--you expected the Hilton Coliseum audience to be fanatically behind him and ... it clearly was. Thereafter, each candidate was introduced to respectful applause. Finally, Ingraham got to Huckabee, at which point the crowd erupted all over again.

The conventional wisdom about Ames...is that it overwhelmingly favors candidates with strong organizations. Huckabee more or less eviscerated that conventional wisdom today.

Both the man directly ahead of him...and behind him... in the final standings spent enormous resources busing in supporters*. Huckabee spent exactly zero resources busing in supporters and still managed 18 percent of the vote.

The other two campaigns bought hundreds, if not thousands, more straw-poll tickets than the number of votes they received. Huckabee bought around 1800 tickets and received almost 2600 votes. Clearly, Romney and Brownback dropped a lot of cash on people who ended up voting for someone else, and that someone else was probably Huckabee.

What's not clear is whether these voters boarded Romney and Brownback buses intending to vote for the former Arkansas governor all along, or whether they simply came with an open mind--or even intending to vote for Romney or Brownback--before being converted. My hunch is the latter.

[Huckabee's tent] was also far away from the Hilton [voting site]. Nonethess, according to an unofficial tally provided by a rival campign, Huckabee received about 60 percent of his votes--some 1500--in Hilton. It's not hard to imagine a lot of soft Romney and Brownback supporters listening to Huckabee's speech, then walking into the lobby and pulling the lever for him.

Whatever the case, it's hard to overstate the significance of Huckabee's performance here. Combined, Huckabee and Brownback--the field's two leading social conservatives--outpolled Mitt Romney today 33 to 31.5. If, as the results suggest, Huckabee emerges as the lone standard bearer for this group, he'll probably end up with a block of support to rival Romney's.

But, of course, just combining Brownback's and Huckabee's numbers actually way understates Huckabee's potential ceiling. For one thing, he's come this far running on fumes. It will be interesting to see what he can do with the fundraising boost he'll enjoy after today. On top of that, there seem to be a lot of social conservatives currently supporting Romney because he's running as the most conservative of the top-tier candidates. Now that Huckabee has demonstrated his viability, it's not hard to imagine him peeling off a decent number of Romney's conservative backers.

A final thought: The political press is absolutely head over heels for Huckabee. (There were high-fives all around when it became clear he'd finish second.) He's a genuinely endearing guy who can banter with the best of them--When you add that to the political media's general affinity for underdogs, you can see how Huckabee's about to enjoy some serious media afterglow, which will only further boost his profile.

With Romney suddenly vulnerable among conservatives and McCain and Giuliani both languishing here--last Sunday's Washington Post had McCain at 8 percent and Giuliani at 14, compared with Romney's 26--you may well have just met your 2008 Iowa caucus winner.

--Noam Scheiber

*Yesterday I reported that Brownback was planning to deploy around 25 buses. It looks like that number was mainly for expectation-setting purposes. The real number was closer to 60.

Huffington Post: "Romney won the Iowa Straw Poll...but Huckabee sucked all the oxygen out of the event with his stunning second place win."Captain's Quarters: Ames Poll Produces Winner -- And It May Not Be Romney.

Wizbang:"Huckabee...took second place...which was a surprise. I would love to see him get a boost...because of this."

It's been a long time coming -- over two years for me -- and at the end of the day Mike Huckabee did exactly what I've been saying he'd do in the Iowa straw poll.

He surprised the nation.

Huckabee, with NO money, placed a "surprising" second behind Romney, who literally spent MILLIONS to buy the poll victory. National Review's Byron York described the scene like this:

"As reporters...and fans pressed around Huckabee...in the fading daylight, less than a hundred yards away Team Romney was closing up shop, knocking down the elaborate spread — tents, music stages, kiddie playgrounds, and an impressive barbecue distribution system — that former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney had laid before the voters whose tickets he had purchased, whose buses he had rented, and whose lunches he had provided on a day that he hoped would bring him an overwhelming victory in Iowa. Instead...Romney’s celebratory words seemed a little muted."

Folks, this proves you have your authentic conservative candidate. Go now to www.MikeHuckabee.com and CONTRIBUTE. It's time to put Romney, Guiliani and the other pretenders away.

And Huckabee flat out defeated Sam Brownback, who also invested large sums of money into trying to buy poll votes. Goodbye, Sam. You're attempts to stand in the way of a better candidate are now over. Your support has never about a desire to see you become president anyway...they just want you like them because you'll still be a senator after this all over.

The significance of this for the Huckabee campaign cannot be understated. Thousands of Iowans, on a hot August Saturday, travelled to Ames -- not for food, fun and entertainment, but to show their support for a man they believe to be worthy of being the next president of the United States.

"When it was all over," York writes, "there was no doubt that the winner of the day was Huckabee. 'It is beyond huge,' Huckabee told reporters. 'Tonight, for all practical purposes, we won the Iowa straw poll. No one was even saying we would come in second…You gotta admit, for what we had to work with, the resources we had, for us to surge, coming in second, is the victory, it is the story.' He’s right."

Monday, August 06, 2007

August 06, 2007(CNSNews.com) - The presidential campaign of Mike Huckabee is hailing his "post-debate momentum," following the latest gathering of Republican candidates in Des Moines, Iowa, on Sunday. The debate was televised on ABC.

A focus group of 29 Iowa Republican voters, convened by pollster Frank Luntz, gave Huckabee high marks for his "honest" and clear answers to the questions. The former Arkansas governor didn't sound like a Washington insider, one of the focus group members said.

Appearing on Fox News Monday morning, Luntz said Huckabee may "break out" at the Iowa Straw Poll in Ames this coming Saturday. The Huckabee campaign, meanwhile, is asking its volunteers to "redouble your efforts to get even more Iowans to the straw poll in Ames to vote for Mike Huckabee."

Chip Saltsman, Huckabee's national campaign manager, said he's had several national reporters tell him that Huckabee is on the verge of emerging as a top-tier candidate. "With your help, a big day in Ames will vault this campaign into the top tier," Saltsman told Huckabee's Iowa volunteers.

The latest ABC News-Washington Post poll shows Huckabee tied for third place (with Sen. John McCain) in Iowa, among the declared Republican candidates. The poll, conducted July 26-31 among likely caucus-goers, showed Huckabee and McCain with 8 percent support each.

According to his campaign, Huckabee plans to campaign extensively around Iowa through the Aug. 11 straw poll. "It was a big day for us, no doubt about it," Huckabee said about Sunday's debate in an interview with Fox News on Monday. "Other candidates are on their way down, and we're on our way up."